Page 68 of Eloping with the Laird
‘I shall need it,’ he chuckled and turned to leave with his men.
She laughed and edged closer to Rory as they began to walk out of the castle and return home. He slid his arm around her lower back and she settled into the crook of his arm with her head neatly on his shoulder, exactly where she was always meant to be.
Epilogue
The heavy spring dew filled Moira’s nostrils and she sighed aloud. She loved the greenery, the newness and the beauty of these months in the Highlands. Soon bluebells, wood anemones and blackthorns would be in full bloom and the fields around Blackmore would be awash in colour. This was her second spring here with the McKennas, and she could not imagine being happier. Above all, Rory was healthy. The Frasers had been reluctantly forced to publicly acknowledge her innocence in order to avoid isolation from the neighbouring clans, and her family had agreed to come visit in a few weeks to see their new twin boys now that the weather had turned. Rory’s wager on having a male heir had been fulfilled in spades, and his alliance with the Camerons had fortified the McKennas’ positioning in the Highlands for the better. She smiled as she walked on. Her shoe caught a root, but Rory steadied her.
‘Careful,’ he urged and she settled in closer against him, savouring his warm and certain presence.
‘Where are we going, my laird?’ she teased, attempting to lift her blindfold.
He playfully swatted away her hand. ‘You shall see. Patience.’
‘Fine. I shall behave and go along with your ruse.’
He rewarded her with a kiss to her cheek. ‘Good. I would hate for you to ruin your own surprise.’
‘I need nothing more, my laird. You and our sons are healthy. My heart and my life are full.’
He paused. ‘Should we turn back, then?’
She laughed and tugged on his arm. ‘Nay. I wish to see my surprise.’
They travelled up and then along a dirt path. She heard a door creak open, and as they stepped inside, she smiled, breathing in the familiar musky damp air.
‘We are at the chapel. You cannot deny it. I know this smell.’
‘Right you are.’ He untied her blindfold, and she opened her eyes.
She stood stunned and overwhelmed with joy. Before her was her entire family all in one room. Her father, Ewan and Brenna along with Enora, Tressa, Uncle Leo and their beautiful sons, who were close to six months old now. Also present was Laird Garrick MacLean, who had become a firm friend to them both over the last year as well as Brenna’s most ardent admirer.
Moira gasped and clasped her hands to her mouth. ‘You are all here! Rory, how did you manage this without me knowing?’
He smiled and rubbed her back. ‘I have my ways as well as my spies.’
One by one, she hugged them with a final moment with her two boys and Rory. He picked up little Ewan and she picked up his brother, Leo. ‘I’ve one more thing to show you,’ he murmured and nodded to the wall of etchings he’d shown her that very first time she’d been in the chapel. She noticed one had been added beside the one of him as a babe with his mother, and she squatted to get a closer look. She smiled and ran her fingers over the etching of them: a man and wife cradling their two sons. ‘I adore it.’
‘It’s hideous,’ he offered and smiled.
‘Perhaps, but I adore it all the same. I love that you made this for us and that you’ve allowed yourself to believe you are a McKenna worthy of being on this wall.’
‘And I always shall be with you by my side, Moira.’
‘Then that is where I will always be.’
If you enjoyed this story be sure to read
Jeanine Englert’s
debut Harlequin Historical
The Highlander’s Secret Son
Keep reading for an excerpt fromThe Heiress and the Baby Boomby Lauri Robinson.
WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK FROM
Your romantic escape to the past.
